Brilliant
by itsbloomagic
Summary: After the death of Dumbledore, Hermione and Ron share a special moment. However, Ron's attempt to protect Hermione goes awry. Will they be able to repair their relationship or will Hermione give up on him forever? Set after Half-Blood Prince; not DH compliant.
1. Part 1: Reactions

A/N: Hello, all!

This is a short, two-part Hermione/Ron piece that I wrote between the publishing of Half-Blood Price and Deathly Hallows. Since it's been sitting idle on my hard drive for so long, I figured that I might as well post it. It is not DH compliant in the slightest. It is also not beta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

I hope you enjoy the teenage angst!

* * *

><p><em>Ronald Weasley…<em>

_What a strange creature. He baffles my imagination, and has been for several years. I don't understand him a bit, yet I'm so deeply infatuated with him that I can't stand it._

_We are such an odd pair. He and I fight all the time, as though it is a routine… Which it pretty much is. He has made me cry many a time. And yet, I never get tired of his hair as red as the sun dyes the clouds during a perfect sunset. I never get tired of his brilliantly blue eyes that seem to sparkle whenever he gets an idea or thought that excites him. I never get tired of the hundreds of freckles that plague his light skin. It is uncanny to think this much about a single person, especially for someone like me._

_But nothing is the same anymore._

_Albus Dumbledore had just died. Everyone was really torn up about it. Especially Harry. Ron, Harry, Ginny, and I all went to the funeral together and we sat by the lake. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. Ginny cried, I cried… We all cried a lot._

_It was then that Ron surprised me most._

_Harry began to speak quietly to Ginny and my heart seemed to slow down. I knew what he was saying to her, and I felt like crying even more on top of my own grief. Then, Ron wrapped his arms around me and I collapsed into his embrace. I didn't even care that I was crying into the shoulder of the person that I'd fallen in love with. I then felt something hit my head softly, and I noticed that he was crying as well. I pushed myself closer to him and he began to stroke my hair._

_I don't remember the exact point that he stopped comforting me, but when he did, it was silent. Nothing seemed to be going on around us. At that moment, he tilted my head up and leaned down. He kissed me softly and I enjoyed every glorious second of it._

_But it all came crashing to an end when we heard the distinct and slightly frustrated sound of the new Minister of Magic snapping at someone. Something about morale. I don't remember exactly; I was still reeling from our adventure into the realm of romance. Ron and I looked to where the voice came from, and sure enough, Rufus Scrimgeour was standing close to our best friend, Harry Potter, who seemed to be considering something._

_We watched as he said something back. The minister's complexion began to change and I became worried. I grabbed Ron's hand and we walked quickly towards Harry. We passed Scrimgeour going the opposite way as Harry turned and began walking._

_We had a very open discussion about what would happen now that Dumbledore was gone and Harry had to search for horcruxes. We told him that we would accompany him, no matter where he was going. And from that moment on, there was nothing short of death that would deter the three of us from embarking on such a dangerous task._

_A few weeks later, I was at the Burrow with Ron. Nothing had yet come of our attempt at a non-platonic relationship. Until that night, that is. It was the night before Bill and Fleur's wedding that Ron decided to do something about it._

_He approached me as I was flipping through a book of hairstyles with Ginny and Tonks. We were trying to find a color and style that somewhat matched the rest of the ceremony for Tonks. I looked up when I saw his shoes, and he had a strange look on his face. I followed him all the way to his bedroom where he broke my heart. He told me that he didn't mean the kiss to be romantic; only that he was trying to comfort me. I got angry with him, yet sad at the same time. I liked him so much and he could never like me._

_I came back downstairs with tears in my eyes and sniffled while helping Ginny and Tonks once more. I saw them exchange a knowing look, and when they saw my face, I shook my head. They never asked me about it, and for that I was glad. I don't think I would have been in any shape to talk about it then._

_After that, it was very quiet. Harry came just in time for the wedding the next day and we celebrated like crazy. He and Ginny took a stroll around the colorful fairy lights that Mrs. Weasley had put in the small shrubs of her garden, and came back holding hands. I was happy for them, honestly, but it was hard for me to stomach that they got the wonderful little relationship that I could never have with Ron. Yet it gave me some small sliver of hope that perhaps Ron and I had another chance... Perhaps he hadn't yet sorted his feelings, or hadn't even realized them. But though my head squashed that idea like a spider, I never lost the love I held in my heart for Ron._

_The very next day, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I all set out for Gordric's Hollow. It is my understanding that after the festivities of the wedding night, Ginny had talked Harry into letting her come along on our journey. And so we went._

_Ron and I seemed to be distant, but other than that, we were a tight group on a mission. We found the first horcrux, Hepzibah Smith's cup, at her old mansion. It took a long time to break through the elven enchantments where it was hidden, but we found it and destroyed it._

_By the time we got back to Gordric's Hollow, we found our Hogwarts letters had arrived by owl and had been waiting for us in the small room we had rented. We had a long discussion about what we would do, and for some reason, Ron was on my side. I suggested that we attend school and use the library to research anything we needed. Ginny chimed in with the idea to get the teachers and Professor McGonagall to let us leave school whenever we needed. Harry posed the problem that it would take too much of the time that could be better used searching. Ron then suggested that while attending classes regularly and brushing up on some very necessary skills, we could use the library and the teachers for information on any R.A.B. and on the location or existence of artifacts left behind by the founders._

_It was well into the early morning hours that we finally convinced Harry that Hogwarts was a better base of operations than a small pub in Gordric's Hollow. So the next day, we all went to Diagon Alley and purchased the least amount of supplies that we would need for school. After that, we took up rooms in Hogsmeade and met with Professor McGonagall to work out a plan for our continuing search. She agreed to help when we told her the circumstances of Dumbledore's death and the things leading up to it._

_And that leads us up to now, where my parents are in hiding with the Weasleys and managed to send me this journal by owl post. We're all here at Hogwarts, attending classes regularly, and Harry's keeping a very watchful eye on everything. I'm not much of a journaling person, and I really shouldn't be writing right now, but I need something to keep me sane in this dark time. Sometimes, I just need to get these frustrations out of my head._

_..._

"Ow!" Hermione said loudly. She began to rub the sore spot on the back of her head when Professor Flitwick turned from the front board. He looked around until he spotted Hermione's blushing face.

"Ms. Granger, I'd hope you would keep it quiet while I am trying to teach?" he said.

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

He turned back to the board and began talking once more. Hermione turned around and gave a flustered look to the two young men sitting several feet behind her. The redheaded one pointed to the black-headed one, who gave an apologetic look and mouthed something while pointing back to the redhead. Hermione raised her eyebrows at the redhead and he picked up a small parchment airplane. Hermione sighed and turned back around.

"And that is why we are reviewing the art of levitation and movement. Who would like to remind the class of the proper spell? Mis-"-Professor Flitwick stopped mid-sentence when he saw the unexpected hand that shot up before his most talented student's-"-ter Weasley!" he recovered. "Mister Weasley, why don't you show us the spell?"

The redheaded boy stood and muttered the banishing charm while pointing his wand at the parchment airplane. It soared through the air and landed smoothly on Hermione's desk.

"Oh, very good, Mister Weasley. Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, the other side of this-" The small professor turned back to the board. Ron Weasley, the redhead, winked at Hermione as he sat down. She looked to the small airplane folded out of parchment.

Picking it up, Hermione unfolded it quietly and read what was written.

_Hermione-_

_Meet me in the Room of Requirement at 7. I need your help with something._

_-Ron_

She rolled her eyes and scribbled her consent before silently banishing it back. _Boys_, she thought.

...

_I still haven't forgotten the way it felt when he was stroking my hair. And he was so warm... It was like waking up in the morning with the warmth of the blankets surrounding you._

_That's what plagues me every day. The thought that we will probably never be just because he doesn't like me in that way. I'm saddened to no extent by this, yes, but I have to accept it._

_When I got back to the common room after dinner that evening, I got that hope again. That hope that I made sure stayed suppressed. I remembered why I got that hope when I saw Harry and Ginny sitting close together on the couch. He appeared to be helping her with her homework, and she seemed to be trying to bargain some happiness out of him. I took a seat and watched them quietly as she finally got him to smile. I smiled as well. It was good to see Harry enjoying himself for once._

_I began to do my homework when I found myself suddenly looking for Ron. It was only 6, and I assumed that I would see him leave before I ventured off to the Room of Requirement. However, Ron had not been seen since he sat down for dinner and hastily ate his share. When he was done, he had walked off once more without a word to any of us._

_Something was up, I bargained._

_I tend to over-think things by a lot. So, when Ron had left dinner, my mind began to nag at me, saying things like, "maybe he's tricking you!" and "you shouldn't follow him; he's nothing but trouble!" I wondered why in the world he would leave so quickly, especially considering that meals were possibly his favorite subjects._

_My mind wandered once more as I was attempting to do my homework later. I kept having thoughts and I refused to allow myself that hope. But then I got the strange idea that perhaps he had finally realized that he loved me. Only in a perfect world, though, my mind supplied. _

_At first I had thought that he just wanted homework help, which is natural. But if he did, he would have just tried to copy off of my paper in the Common Room until I agreed to help him, wouldn't he? Unless this was some big spell that he was trying to learn on the side, he would. So why, then, was he asking me to the Room of Requirement?_

_I was confusing myself, and finally that hope broke through. But not in the way you'd expect. You see, instead of my thinking that we still had a chance, even though Ron made it quite clear that we didn't, I was thinking that maybe if I told him how I felt, he would be back on track. I mean, no one 'comforts' their best friend by kissing them full on the lips. I didn't see him doing that to Harry._

_So, it was decided. I would tell Ron how I felt at our little meeting that night. I was hoping I had the courage. It had to start with preparation..._

…

"Hermione, are you in there?" a female voice asked from outside the seventh-year girls' dormitory. Hermione recognized it immediately.

"Just a minute, Ginny…" She buttoned the last few buttons of her blouse and shoved her journal under her pillow. "Alright."

"Hey, I was just wondering if I could borrow your—Whoa…" Hermione looked to Ginny, who seemed to be confused.

"What is it?"

"Hermione, you're… Dressed up! Where are you going this evening?" Ginny asked, regaining her composure.

"Ron said he needed help with something in the Room of Requirement," Hermione said, pinning a large amount of her bushy hair into a clip so as to not be in her face.

"Homework?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Oh, please, Hermione. Everyone knows he fancies you!" Hermione dropped her wand.

"What?"

"Yeah! You didn't know that?" Ginny asked, suddenly confused.

"Of course I didn't know that! Why do you think I'm reacting like this?" Hermione almost yelled.

"Well, I thought you'd be… I don't know, happy or something because of it. But you're not…" Ginny began to look slightly sheepish as she picked up Hermione's dropped wand and handed it to her.

"Obviously!" Hermione snatched her wand from Ginny.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Normally, I'd think you'd be saying things like, 'Really?' or 'Gee, Ginny, that's awfully good news, but I don't think we'd ever be together!'" Ginny mocked Hermione's know-it-all tone.

"Well, Ginny, you obviously don't understand!" Hermione said, attempting to walk heatedly out of her dormitory.

"But I would like to!" Ginny stood resolutely in Hermione's way as she tried to get out of the door. It was silent as the two friends stared each other down. It lasted almost a full minute. Hermione sighed.

"Fine. If you must know, he lied to me."

"I knew it!" Ginny muttered. "The night before Bill and Fleur's wedding, you were crying. He told you something, didn't he?"

"Yes. And if he thinks I wasn't happy about it then, wait until he finds out how unhappy I am now." Hermione pushed past Ginny and began to walk down the stairs. Somehow, Ginny managed to grab hold of her arm and stop her.

"Hermione! This is no reason to be doing anything rash!" Ginny warned, keeping a firm grip on her friend's forearm.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything rash," Hermione replied, not moving. "I'm just going to ask him what game he thinks he's playing." She then pulled away from Ginny, who used her quick Quidditch reflexes to catch her around the waist before she got too far. The pair made a loud thud as they hit the next landing on the spiraling staircase. Then, a low voice called up the stairs and the girls looked at each other. Whoever it was that called up was a boy, and he had stepped on the staircase.

Hermione and Ginny attempted to right themselves before they started to slide down the changed staircase, but to no avail. They landed in the common room in a tangle of limbs and hair.

By the time they stood up, everyone in the room was staring at them.

"Not to worry, just slipped, is all…" Ginny said. "Nothing to see here!" Hermione smiled unconvincingly. Once everyone was back to what they were doing, Ginny whipped around and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders.

"You cannot just go off on him, Hermione," she said in a hushed voice.

"Ginny, you don't understand the depth of the situation! I love him, and he lied to me!" Hermione was nearly in tears.

"What did you say?"

"The day of Dumbledore's funeral, he kissed me. It was the greatest feeling in the world. And then the night before Bill and Fleur's funeral, he took me up to his room and told me that what happened was a lie, and not to think too much into it. He said he'd only been trying to comfort me."

"Hermione, he may have actually been comforting you, but not realized what he did until later."

"I don't care. I should just stand him up for whatever it is he needs…" Ginny sighed. "I just don't understand why he lied to me like that!"

"If you want to find out, you should probably go ask him yourself-"

Hermione was out of the Common Room before Ginny could even finish her sentence

...

_I was angry. Who wouldn't be in a situation like that? I thought about blaming Ginny at first, but then I realized that it wasn't her fault that Ron lied to me. But I was determined to find out why he did. Even if it meant asking him myself._

_I walked to the Room of Requirement rather quickly. I believe I only had about five minutes until seven when I left the Common Room. I had no idea what to think once I got there, but I was so inflamed that I didn't really care. All I thought about was how much I'd like to know what was going on, and a door appeared._

_I approached it stoutly and prepared to explode at Ron. But then my sensible side kicked in._

_I began to remember things. Things that, under normal circumstances, I would only think about when I was extremely happy. And I became ashamed of my anger._

_I remembered our first year when he used the one spell he was having trouble mastering to save our friend Harry's life. I remembered how he played an amazing game of chess against magical pieces that were at least twice as large as a grown man. _

_I remembered in second year how when I was petrified, he helped Harry defeat Tom Riddle and save Ginny. I remembered third year when we really fought for the first time._

_I remembered all the things I loved about Ron and all the things he'd accomplished. And I didn't ever want to loose that. _

_At that moment, right before I opened the door to the Room of Requirement, I lost my anger. It was replaced with a kind of sadness that I'd never felt before and don't ever want to feel again. It was disappointed, sad, and hurt. _

_Then, I had the courage. The courage to find out why he lied to me and made me hurt so much._

…

She slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. It was dimly lit and there was a single table in the center, with torches all around, levitating about two feet above her head. The table had two chairs next to it. Hermione was confused.

One of the chairs had 'Hermione' written on the back of it. She decided to sit in this one. After about five minutes, she began to wonder where Ron was and why he wasn't there. About that time, she heard movement outside the door and drew her wand. In the dark times, it could be anything. When the door opened, however, in walked Ron Weasley. Hermione put her wand away.

"Hey Hermione! I wasn't sure you'd come. I had to lie to get away from Harry, but I made…" Ron trailed off as he saw Hermione's face. "What's wrong?"

"Lying… It's a terrible thing…" Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Yeah… I guess it is," he replied, confused.

"And you seem to be doing a lot of it lately." Ron's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What?"

"Lying hurts people, Ron."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" Ron still looked confused and was starting to look worried. Hermione was beginning to get frustrated.

"Ron, you lied to me."

"What?" Ron repeated. He obviously wasn't getting it.

"Ron, I found out today that you fancy me." Ron's ears reddened very obviously in the dim light. "But how can that be if you told me that you don't like me that way?" Ron's eyes widened in realization. There was silence for a moment as Hermione's sad eyes stared into Ron's worried ones. Then finally, Ron spoke.

"H-Hermione… I can explain-"

"There's no need to explain Ron. Apparently, you don't like me like that."

"Hermione, I asked you down here today to tell you that I do like you like that! If you'd just give me a moment to tell you why I said the things I said that day, this will all work itself out!" Ron was pleading with her. But Hermione wasn't falling for it.

"Why should I give you the moment to tell me what you think I need to know when you yourself didn't give me the moment to that day at the Burrow?"

"What are you talking about, Hermione? Look, I only said those things because I was-"

"You were what, Ron? Were you trying to push me away and protect me like Harry with Ginny? Or were you _trying_ to make me feel all the pain and go through the last few weeks having to crush down my feelings?" Hermione was angry again. She wasn't going to let him lie his way out of this.

Ron opened his mouth to reply when he noticed a faint glow coming from the sleeve of Hermione's blouse.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing at her arm.

"It's a Bulgarian dragon tooth mood bracelet." Hermione pulled her sleeve back to reveal a bracelet with several small white symbols hanging from it; one of which was glowing. "Each of these symbols is a charm carved out of a dragon's tooth and represents a mood. Each charm glows in correspondence to your moods," she explained quickly. "Now can we not get off subject?"

"Did _Vicky_ give you that?" Ron asked after a moment. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes, he did. For my eighteenth birthday." Hermione watched carefully as Ron sighed to himself. He shook his head. "Ron?" He began to chuckle in a miserable way to himself.

"So you're still writing that git, eh?"

"Ronald, Viktor is not a git. He's a friend of mine." Ron sighed again.

"This was supposed to be a nice evening where I told you how much I liked you and _you_ had to mess it up by bringing Krum into it!" he said, a sad smile crossing his features for a moment.

"_I_ messed it up? _I_ did not mess it up, Ronald. If you hadn't lied to me in the first place, none of this would have happened!" Hermione said, raising her voice slightly.

"So now it's my fault, is it?"

"Yes! Why do you always have to instigate fights whenever I do or say something that relates to Viktor?! Why can't you just tell me how you feel so we can move on?"

"Why should I tell you how I feel when I have no chance with you because of _him_?" Ron said, emphasizing the last word. By this time, the pair was yelling.

"Because of him? Ronald, he was never in your way!"

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"He was NEVER in your way, Ron! All you had to do was tell me! Just say you liked me and all of this would never have happened!"

"There we go, it's my fault again."

"Ronald, listen to me! I love you! But you are too thick to get it!" Ron looked taken aback. Hermione stood and pushed in her chair. "If you won't let me write to someone who could be a very valuable ally to our cause, then… Then maybe I should stop trying to win your heart."

Hermione began to walk away, the tears streaming down her face.

"H-Hermione! Hermione, wait!" Ron followed Hermione all the way to the outside of the room. She was to the top of the staircase before he managed to stop her.

"What, Ron?" she asked sadly.

"Hermione, you don't have to stop trying! I love you, too!" Ron was saying it in such a kind voice that Hermione was almost fooled. She smiled sadly.

"No, Ron. It's too late." And she walked away.

Ron's arm reached out involuntarily. However, he let it drop. He stood staring at her shadow walking away with a tear in his eye. She looked back once. Or maybe he'd imagined it…


	2. Part 2: Collapsed

A/N: Hello again!

You know, in between uploading these, I remembered something very important. These were originally written as song-fics to "Chemicals React" and "Collapsed" by Aly & AJ, but I suppose I took the songs out at some point. So, if the story is a little disjointed, that may be why.

(also, three cheers for 15-year-old me and her _slight_ obsession with Aly & AJ)

Anyway, here's part two!

* * *

><p><em>It had been a great day up until then. I don't understand what came over me. Usually, I would be very relieved to hear that Ron fancied me. But I don't know what happened to make me so angry about it. Maybe I was tired of all the lying that was happening around the wizarding world in general.<em>

_Well, whatever the cause of my anger, it caused distress. Not just a small upset in the balance of nature, a huge crashing tsunami of emotions. And I'm not being melodramatic. I'm being literal._

_There are several different ways that could have gone, I suppose…_

_I don't think 'bad' is quite strong enough a word to describe how I'm feeling at the moment. I feel… Ashamed. I feel absolutely horrible._

_But I guess we had the big fight coming, didn't we? The fight that would forever change our friendship. Yeah, that fight. Although, it's not like we'd never fought before, so I wonder why this time was so different._

_In third year, we fought because his rat had disappeared. He was under the impression that my cat ate his rat, which was a total misconception. In reality, his rat was none other than the supposedly late Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail. He was on the run after faking his own death and having one of his old school friends blamed for things he may have done. Ron and I never apologized to each other after that fight._

_Fourth year, it was all about Viktor Krum. I think that is where Ron's anger stemmed from. He was jealous of a few things that year, I believe. First Harry was put in the Triwizard Tournament and no one knew how. Ron was angry with Harry because he hadn't told Ron his secret. Ron was feeling like a useless sidekick. But then I was asked to the Yule Ball that year by Viktor Krum. Ron was stunned that it was me on Krum's arm, but I didn't think he would get that angry. Apparently, human thought patterns aren't taught in books._

_That's it. Ron is jealous of Viktor. Why didn't I see it before?_

_What have I done?_

_I never thought Ron was jealous of Viktor! In fact, I feel kind of stupid because I didn't see it before. For about 2 and a half years, Ron has been jealous of the person that took me to the Yule Ball. I always thought he was mad because he thought Viktor was on the bad side. But now I know better._

_This leads me to believe that I just crushed the one thing that caused all of the feelings… And yet the feelings were still there. The only thing I managed to do was hurt both myself and the person I love._

_Way to go, Hermione._

...

"Hermione?" a voice asked. Hermione closed her journal quickly and looked up.

"Harry! What do you need?" she asked quickly, looking worried.

"Well, Ginny and I were watching you while you were writing, and you looked… Well… Odd."

"How so?"

"You were crying at first. Just a little. But then at one point, you looked like you were about ready to destroy something…"

"Oh…" Hermione blushed. "I had a startling realization that I can't believe I missed."

"Hmm… Wanna tell me about it?" Hermione looked up at him, regarding him cautiously. He watched her eyes carefully until she smiled sadly.

"Maybe some other time. I think I'm going to go to bed. After all, tomorrow is Saturday. We have research to do." Harry nodded. Hermione stood and hugged him, waving at Ginny as she ascended the stairs.

Harry walked back to Ginny and sat down.

"What do you want to bet that this has something to do with Ron's mood earlier?" he asked.

"I'll talk to Hermione if you'll break through Ron's walls," Ginny offered. Harry smiled.

"Meddling isn't quite my forte," he said in an amused tone. Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I wouldn't call it meddling… More like… A helpful shove…" Harry gave her a stern look when she made a hand motion to symbolize the shove. She sighed. "Fine, what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we let them work this out for themselves."

"Agh! But that's so hands-off!"

"Exactly," Harry said with a grin. Ginny paused a moment.

"What if… What if we just talk to them? Find out what's going on and try to give advice?" Harry sighed.

"Fine. But only for tonight. If this is still going after tomorrow, you have to promise me to leave them alone. Even if it takes them seven more years, they'll work it out." Ginny nodded her assent.

~Upstairs~

Hermione sat down on her bed. She had just realized the whole stem of everything. She knew why Ron was always so touchy whenever Viktor was mentioned. She knew why he had just irritated and disappointed her so much to make her give up on him.

Hermione was in tears again as Ginny walked in. She shoved her journal under her pillow.

"Hermione… What's going on?" Hermione shook her head in an 'I don't want to talk about it' way. "Hermione, you're in tears. Whatever is happening is very unhealthy. You need to tell me." If she spilled the beans, Ginny was going to be proud of herself, Hermione figured. She'd gotten her friend to talk twice in one day. Hermione decided just to tell her.

"Ginny, I've really fouled everything up this time…" Hermione bit back more tears.

"Tell me what happened, Hermione."

"I yelled… angry... He got jealous. I-I-I…" Ginny furrowed her eyebrows and placed a hand on Hermione's knee.

"Hermione, complete sentences."

"I was disappointed in him for lying… Then my bracelet started to glow because I was getting angry. And he asked what it was, so I told him, and he got jealous because I was still writing to Viktor… I found out that he was jealous of Viktor." Ginny bit back the retort that it was pretty obvious that he was and that Hermione was very thick.

"Hermione… What happened after that?"

"I told him how I felt and then… I gave up. I gave up on him." Ginny was quiet. "He tried to get me back, but I told him it was too late… And when I turned around, he was so sad… I was so… Evil…"

"Hermione… You told him you weren't…"

"I told him I was going to stop trying…"

"Why did you tell him that?"

"Because I was tired of all the lies and tired of everything that's been going on. It wears you out, Ginny. And then when the only possible outlet of happiness in your life is destroyed… Well, you can see why I lost it."

"Hermione, you don't need Ron to make you happy."

"Yes I do, Gin, don't you see? You have Harry, and you keep each other happy. Though I laugh and smile with you all the time, it's not the same. And you know that." Ginny looked resigned for a moment.

"I do know that. Probably better than most people. But Hermione, you can never give up, especially on Ron. He's too thick to get it right. If there's one thing that will help you in life, it's that when males say the wrong thing, they usually don't mean it. Maybe you should give him a shot…"

"I can't Ginny!"

"Why not?"

"I still love him… And I may have just made a rather large blemish in the record of my life…"

...

_I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't stand this. I made what is possibly the biggest mistake of my life earlier today. It's probably too late to go back._

_It's going to be very awkward. What with Ron and I helping Harry together all the time, that is. We'll just have to work together… Separately. If that makes any sense at all._

...

_It's still the same night. I know I can't sleep because I'm completely torn about this. I just hurt the person I loved, and I made a huge mess of my friendships… I can't eat because it's too far from the times when food is usually served._

_I can't believe I did that. I mean, even now I'm sad and depressed. I had to go back into the Common Room because I couldn't stand to be around the other girls._

_Before I came back down here, Ginny told me I can't mope about it forever. If it's really over, I have to move on. But how do I know if it's really over? How do I know we don't still have a chance? It's killing me knowing that I can't know!_

_But I'm also intrigued. I have the hope again. It's only taken three hours, but it came back. I was listening to Ron when he said he loved me. It was touching. But I flattened it when I started to beat myself up over this. However, now, it's coursing back. I love Ron and Ron loves me. Apparently, this is how it works._

_But will he take me back?_

_I can't think. There's too much in my head and in my heart. Too many thoughts of what could have been, what was before. It's all building up. Too many emotions. Emotions of hurt, anger, sadness, depression. They're all inside of me and I can't take it._

_I feel like… I feel like a river. I was flowing nicely before, and then there was a good rain. I was filled for a little while. But when I was starting to run low, I was given a drought. And the drought eventually dried me up until I all I had was sediment. Too much sediment._

_If only I had water to help this sediment flow freely like it should._

...

Hermione snapped her journal shut as the portrait hole opened. In walked Harry and Ron. Harry saw her and clapped Ron on the back before retreating up the boys' dormitory staircase. Ron stood near the couches awkwardly.

"So…" he began slowly. They remained silent. Hermione didn't know why he was talking to her. She had destroyed him. And she was halfway across the Common Room.

Ron sighed heavily and flopped his body onto one of the couches. Hermione was torn once more.

After a few minutes of no communication, Hermione checked to make sure Ron wasn't looking and pulled her journal from the table.

…

_I don't understand. I would think he would be angry at me and wanting to keep as far away from me as possible. It's scary to think that he got over it this fast. But there's still something nagging at the back of my mind…_

_think I figured it out. Someone meddled. I was looking over at Ron, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flicker of red by the staircases. I think Ginny convinced Harry to meddle. Well, apparently it worked, because Ron seems to want to talk to me._

_I still can't believe it. I should've said something back to him a minute ago. I don't imagine anyone else I could possibly love besides Ron, and it almost looks like we have another chance to make this right…_

…

"Hermione…" he said, striking up conversation again. Hermione started and closed her journal for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

Ron seemed to be trying to find the right words. Even after almost half an hour he was still stumbling. Hermione decided that if there was a chance, she should take it now.

"Ron, I…"

"Hermione, I'm sorry!" Ron blurted. They looked at each other quickly, and then looked away.

"No, Ron, I'm sorry. I never should have yelled at you and gotten mad and…" Hermione trailed off.

"Hermione, you have to listen to me. I should never have lied to you. I did like you; I was just too thick to admit it…" Hermione looked quickly to Ron and looked away again. "I don't know what came over me at Dumbledore's funeral, but it felt good. And then at the Burrow, I didn't know if you liked me like that or not… I was in quite a huff…"

"Ron, we have to work this out. I can't go on believing you lied to my and trying to hate you while still loving you…"

"Hermione, I'm truly sorry that I lied to you."

Ron stood and walked over to Hermione. He took her hand and led her back to the couches, where he sat her back down.

"Hermione, I'm sorry I was so jealous of Krum. If I'd just gotten it through my head that you and he weren't doing anything but writing, we could have avoided all this mess…"

"And if I had told you from the off about my feelings, we probably wouldn't have had that fight…" The pair was quiet for a moment until Ron took Hermione's hand once more.

"I was given a piece of advice today that is what probably gave me the courage to tell you this… I was told that no matter what my head wanted me to do; my heart had to be in the lead. Usually, what I think is best really isn't… Like my lie, for example." He moved closer to her. "So, Hermione… Is it still too late?"

Hermione regarded him carefully.

…

_There was honestly no where else in the world I wanted to be but there, hearing him say those words. Hearing him ask me if I was ready for him. And I was. I believe I thought it was finally time that I showed Ron exactly how I felt._

...

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. Ron looked worried. That is, until Hermione leaned forward and kissed him.

"No, Ron," she said after pulling away slightly. "It's not too late anymore."

"Brilliant."


End file.
